Changing the default language of VMware vCenter Server
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Changing the default language of VMware vCenter Server

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Article ID: 342317

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to determine the current default locale and the available locales, then to change the Windows account regional settings.

VMware vCenter Server for Windows supports multiple languages. When servicing requests from any API client, including the Web Client, vCenter Server provides messages in both a requested localization and the raw, non-localized message data. Localization-aware clients use the message data to perform their own localization.

One of vCenter Server's supported languages is defined as the default locale. vCenter Server uses the default locale providing localized messages to API clients which do not request a specific locale.

  • When vCenter Server is installed on Windows, the default locale is based on the Regional settings of the Windows user account which vCenter Server is running under, if the specified value maps to a supported locale. Otherwise, vCenter Server uses English (en_US).

  • The vCenter Server Virtual Appliance does not support changing the default locale. It is always English (en_US).

Note: The vSphere Web Client is localization-aware and leverages only the raw, non-localized message data received from vCenter Server. The client's locale affects the translation of non-data UI elements displayed in the client, such as tabs and actions. The client defaults to the locale of the platform on which the client is running and an alternate locale can be specified when starting the client. The vSphere Web Client's locale is not influenced by the locale of vCenter Server. For more information, see Forcing a localized vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client installation to launch in a localized language/English (1016403)

 

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x

Resolution

Verify the current default locale and list of supported locales

Retrieve the current default session locale and a list of supported locales from vCenter Server using PowerCLI or the Managed Object Browser. Neither method will request a specific locale for the session, revealing the default.

Using PowerCLI:

  1. Connect to vCenter Server using the PowerCLI command:

    Connect-VIServer vCenterServerHostnameOrIPAddress

  2. Retrieve a reference to the SessionManager object using the command:

    $sm = Get-View (Get-View ServiceInstance).Content.SessionManager

  3. Display a list of available locales available in this session using the command:

    $sm.MessageLocaleList

  4. Display the current session's effective locale using the command:

    $sm.CurrentSession.MessageLocale

Using the Managed Object Browser:

  1. Open https://vCenterServerHostnameOrIPAddress/mob/?moid=SessionManager in a web browser.

  2. When prompted, enter your vCenter Server credentials.

  3. Observe the list of available locales in the messageLocaleList property.

  4. Select the currentSession link to view its details.

  5. Observe the current session's effective locale in the value of the messageLocale property.

Determine the Windows account under which vCenter Server is running

vCenter Server honors the regional settings of the Windows account under which the "vpxd" VMware VirtualCenter Server service is running. vCenter Server can run as the Microsoft Windows built-in LocalSystem account or a local administrator user account granted the Log on a a service privilege. This is configured during installation of vCenter Server. For more information, see the Using a User Account for Running vCenter Server section of the vSphere Installation and Setup guide.

If the installation configuration is unknown, use PowerShell or the Services snap-in to determine the service's account.

Using PowerShell:

  1. Open PowerShell on the vCenter Server.
  2. Retrieve the account name for the vpxd service using the command:

    Get-WMIObject Win32_Service -Filter "name='vpxd'" | Format-List Name, StartName

    The StartName field contains either LocalSystem or a named service account. Take note of the account name.

Using the Windows interface:

  1. Open the Services snap-in. For more information, see Microsoft TechNet article cc772408.
  2. In the list, locate the service named VMware VirtualCenter Server. Right-click the service and click Properties.
  3. Select the Log On tab.
  4. The service will be configured to log on as either the Local System account or a named service account. Take note of the account name.

The method used for changing the regional settings of a named service account can be made directly. Settings for the LocalSystem account are can be copied from another user account. Use the steps from the appropriate section to change the account's locale.

Change regional settings for a service account

If the vCenter Server service is running under a named service account, use one of these methods to change the regional settings of the service account.

  • Authenticate to Windows using the named service account and use the Control Panel interface to change the regional settings. For more information, see the Microsoft Windows article Change the display language.

    1. Open the Regional and Language options by opening the Control Panel, clicking Clock, Language and Region and then clicking Region and Language.
    2. On the Formats tab, select the desired locale from the Format dropdown.
    3. Click Apply.
  • Authenticate to Windows using the named service account and use PowerShell to change the regional settings. For more information, see Microsoft International Settings Cmdlets - Set-Culture.

    1. Open PowerShell on the vCenter Server.
    2. Set the locale using the command:

      Set-Culture CultureInfoCode

      For example:

      Set-Culture de_DE

      Note: The full locale code must be specified.

    3. The setting change will not apply to the currently-running PowerShell instance. To validate that the change has persisted, close and reopen PowerShell, then run the command:

      Get-Culture

      Example output:

      LCID Name DisplayName
      ---- ---- -----------
      1031 de-DE German (Germany)

  • Make the change for an example account, then capture settings including LocaleName from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International\ and push the change to the service account manually or using Group Policies. For more information, see the Microsoft TechNet article How to change Regional Settings for all users on a computer.

Changes to the regional settings for a Windows account take effect when the vCenter Server service is restarted. By extension, active API client sessions are disconnected. New client sessions use the new default locale. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting VMware vCenter Server 5.x services , or Stopping, starting, or restarting VMware vCenter Server 6.0 services

Change regional settings for the LocalSystem account

If the vCenter Server service is running under the LocalSystem account, make the desired regional settings change for a regular user account as in the Change regional settings for a service account section above and then use one of these methods to copy those settings to the LocalSystem account.

Warning: Changing regional settings for the LocalSystem account may have effects on other services installed on the same server. Evaluate the behavior of other services before making this change.

  • Copy desired regional settings from another user account to LocalSystem using the Control Panel interface. For more information see the Microsoft Windows article Apply regional and language settings to reserved accounts.

    1. Open the Regional and Language options by opening the Control Panel, clicking Clock, Language and Region and then clicking Region and Language.
    2. On the Formats tab, observe and optionally change the current user's locale in the Format dropdown.
    3. Select the Administrative tab.
    4. Click the Copy Settings button.
    5. Check Welcome screen and system accounts to copy the current settings to the LocalSystem account.
    6. Click OK to persist the change.
  • Copy desired regional settings from another user account in the Registry manually or using Group Policies by reading from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International\ and push the change to the LocalSystem account under HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\International\. For more information, see the Microsoft TechNet article How to change Regional Settings for all users on a computer.

Changes to the regional settings for the LocalSystem account take effect when Windows is restarted. By extension, the vCenter Server service is restarted and all API clients are disconnected. New client sessions connecting to vCenter Server use the new default locale.

Additional Information

As of vSphere 6.0 (released 2015-03-12), valid locale codes include de (German), en (English), fr (French), ja (Japanese), ko (Korean), zh_CN (Simplified Chinese), zh_TW (Traditional Chinese). Consult the vSphere release notes or the SessionManager.messageLocaleList property for a list of available locales in a specific vCenter Server installation.

The method in this article may be preferable to the one described in Changing the language of VMware vSphere email alerts affect VMware vRealize Operations Manager 5.x


How to stop, start, or restart vCenter Server services
Forcing a localized vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client installation to launch in a localized language/English
Default folder names generated by the vCenter Server Appliance do not reflect the browser's language setting
How to stop, start, or restart vCenter Server 6.x services

 

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